A couple of summers ago, I had them practice writing their names in cursive so they'd have a decent signature. The girls picked it up...not Thomas. I've decided this summer to continue reinforcing cursive handwriting. Each child will do a cursive handwriting page a day (some copied off the internet). Thomas has a funky signature. I hope to fix that.
Why do I even care? They really should be learning to type! I did buy a typing tutor program for the computer; the school even has a link to a typing program. I tried last summer to have them learn. The problem is you need consistent, dailyish practice to learn. We are here and there all summer... Maybe I'll have them learn typing when school starts back up; it will be part of daily homework. Don't tell my kids this, they don't know yet.
So to answer my question-- "Why do I even care if they can write in cursive?"
- Their grandma's write them letters in cursive, and they can barely read them.
- I think everyone should have a cursive, legible signature. (Yes, I know, your signature doesn't have to be legible...it can just be squiggles. Believe me, I've seen all kinds of signatures, I know.)
- I'm old fashioned this way.
We were talking about this in a class I was taking at The Schenck School - a school for dyslexic students. An interesting point was made: students who have trouble with spelling (dyslexic or not) often find it easier to spell when writing a word in cursive. The letters flow, and there is less stop and go with the pencil. Also, proper pencil grip is not taught anymore, and it is very important to know how to hold a pen/pencil correctly to reduce fatigue when writing.
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